The US Justice Department declined on Sunday to comment on Puerto Rico’s decision to hold another referendum on joining the island as a state.

No comment, Nicole Navas Oxman, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Justice, said in response to a request from a TASS correspondent.

The State Department, the White House, as well as several American lawmakers, including the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate of the US Congress, Mitch McConnell, have not yet responded too.

The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vazquez, announced Saturday a referendum on the island's entry into the US on a state basis. The referendum will be held on November 3 at the same time as the local elections. However, the plebiscite does not provide for the US obligation to accept the results of the vote. The final decision must be made by the US Congress, according to the US law.

The current international legal status of Puerto Rico, annexed by the US during the Spanish-American War of 1898, is largely controversial. Puerto Ricans are officially considered US citizens, but do not pay taxes to the federal treasury and do not have the right to participate in presidential elections. The supreme legislative power on the island belongs to the US Congress: it is responsible for foreign policy, defense, and local legislation. Executive power is lead by the governor. The island receives aid from the federal budget of the US. In the US House, Puerto Rico is represented by a non-voting resident commissioner.

If Puerto Rico becomes a state, the island will be represented by seven lawmakers in the US Congress - two in the Senate and five in the House. However, according to the Associated Press, it is unlikely that the Republican-controlled US Congress will agree to approve the island’s state membership, as its inhabitants are likely to support Democrats, which will strengthen the latter’s position in the US legislature.

The upcoming referendum will not be the first for Puerto Rico. To date, five plebiscites on the status of the island have already been held.